Lady Vols basketball was on the bubble for the NCAA tournament for most of SEC play.
It got off the bubble after a strong week of blowout wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt and only an 11-point loss to No. 1 South Carolina. The Lady Vols had a week off after that, and then dropped their fifth conference game to No. 10 LSU on Sunday.
Tennessee (16-10, 9-5)Â was competitive against the Gamecocks and Tigers, keeping it tied with South Carolina until the fourth quarter and staying neck and neck with LSU until the last five minutes.
Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said that should count for something.
“To me, if you watch the games, we pass the eye test,” Harper said after the 75-60 loss to LSU. “I mean, I think we played really well at times. I think that has to be part of what folks are looking at. I feel really good about our team and going into postseason. There’s no doubt about it that we’ve lost a couple games I wish we could get back. But I think we have gotten a lot better throughout the year and I think we can compete.”
Tennessee was a projected No. 10 seed in ESPN’s last bracketology update and a No. 8 seed in The Athletic’s bracket watch.
The Lady Vols have two more chances to improve their seeding and solidify their tournament bid. They face Texas A&M at home Thursday and No. 1 South Carolina again, this time on the road.
If Tennessee loses to the Aggies (18-9, 6-8), who it already lost to on the road, it may end up back on the bubble. The Lady Vols are the only Division I program to have never missed an NCAA Tournament. They made runs to the NCAA Sweet 16 the past two seasons under Harper as a No. 4 seed.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Kellie Harper said about Lady Vols basketball in NCAA Tournament
